General Order No. 1 directed Japanese forces to surrender to designated commanders after Japan's capitulation.
The order was prepared by the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and approved by President Harry Truman on August 17, 1945. General Douglas MacArthur issued it after the surrender announcement, and Japanese Imperial General Headquarters circulated it to Japanese forces on September 2.
It required Japanese units to provide information about their military deployments, preserve equipment for disarmament, and surrender according to geographic instructions. It therefore converted the broad political surrender into practical military procedures across Asia and the Pacific.
One important consequence concerned Korea. Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel were directed to surrender to Soviet commanders, while forces south of that line surrendered to U.S. commanders. This arrangement contributed to Korea's postwar division.